Vapor electric lamp.



No. 814,695. PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906. P. G. HEWITT.

VAPOR ELECTRIC LAMP.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7. 1904.

GAS 0R VAPOR OTHER THAN VAPOR 0F VOL/l TIL/Z/lT/O/V OF VOL/J TIL/2147704 mi l'vc aaw f c- W annual-1 l'oz I W "M.

EBI ABJ @H'ocncu ,may be caused by providing a suitable cool-' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER COOPER HEWITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO COOPER HEWITT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORA TION OF NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC LAMP.

Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed July 7, 1904. Serial No; 215,578.

To all whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER CooPER HEW- ITT, a citizen of the United States, and a-resident of New York, county of'New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Electric Lamps, of which the following 1s a specification.

The object of this invention is to produce light by means of a vapor a paratus generally similar to the lamp disclosed in certain patents issued to me on the 17th day of Se tember, 1901, wherein, however, the lig t generated will ield color other than that of the spectrum 0% the material constituting the negative electrode. It has been found convenient in practice heretofore in lamps of this character to use mercury as the material of the negative electrode, the light emitted being that of mercury-vapor.

The present invention contemplates the use of mercury or other suitable material for the substance of the negative electrode, and it also contemplates the association with the vapors which are naturally developed fromv the substance of the negative electrode during the operation of the lamp of some other gas, acting together with the generated vapor to form the vapor-conduct1ng column or ight-giving body, whereby the spectrumv or light effect given off by the fixed as or other selected gas or vapor will modii y the light given off by the lam if the said gas or vapor were not present in t e container. This add-' ed gas or vapor may be caused to act as a' conductor and to give out its characteristic color or spectrum under the influence of electric current if means are provided for condensing the vapor volatilized at the negative electrode in the vicinity of the said electrode, thus preventing the vapors developed at the negative electrode from acting as the sole conductor through the entire bod of the container. Such a condensation o the vapors in the vicinity of the negative electrode ing space orchamber at or near the negative electrode. The lamp will their operate with a dual light, so to s eak, the current leaving the positive electro e at a point within the fixed gas or vapor or other selected as or vapor and being carried by means 0 the said gas or vapor radiating the spectrum of the selected gas or va or for a certain distance. The current will t en transfer itself to the vaper developed at the negative electrode and e carried thereby to the negative electrode, which it will enter and traverse in the usual manner. I Various gases may be used for the urpose indicated; but I refer neon or one o the recently-discovere inert gases or a gas that is not chemically active.

I do not Wish to limit myself to the use of mercury as the material of the negative electrode but I may use any conductor which is vaporizable and capable of being returned to the electrode-in other words, a vaporizable self restoring conductor, whether mercury alone or mercury combined with some other substance, or some othefsubstance that will chamber 4, which is sufiieient in size to causea quick or a proximately instantaneous condensation o the mercury-vapors as they are develo ed from the negative electrode in the operation of the lamp.

In the container We may. assume in the present instance that neon is inclosed, although nitrogen, argon," or other fixed or combined gas or va or may be substituted for the neon assume in the present instance. A lamp such as the one above described may be started in the same way as the wellknown mercury-vapor lamps of commerce;

'but under the condltions described the main The negative elece lamp source of light would be the illuminated colthe container might show the characteristic mercury-Va or light; but this can be extended or limite as the case may be, by regulating the characteristics of the condensingchamber 4 so as to control the total luminous effect of the lamp according to wish or the requirements of a particular service In a divisional application 'filed October 19, 1904, Serial No. 229,054, claims are made upon the method of operation described herein.

I claim as my inventicn- 1. A volatile negative electrode, and means for condensing a proximately all the vapors of the negativee ectrode at or near the same,

incombination with a gas or vapor difiering from the vapor developed from the negative" electrode, the said other gas or vapor acting as a conducting medium through a portion of the vapor apparatus.

2. In a gas or vapor electric apparatus comprising a container, electrodes therein, at least one of which is of a material which is capable of being volatilized andagain ,con-

erases .veloped from said electrode at or near the electrode itself. 7 p

3. In a .gas or vapor electric apparatus comprising a'container, electrodes therein, at least one of which is of mercury, a gas-0r vaor other than mercury-vapor, and means or condensing approximate y'all thevapor of mercury developed from said electrode at or near the electrode itself.

New

Signed at New York, in the'county of of June, A..D. 1904:.- I COOPER HEWITT. I Witnesses v WM. H. GAPEL,

-York and-State of N eW.York,-this 30th day PETER GEORGE H. STocKBRmGE 

